Louise Haagh: Basic Income is both radical and a democratic right

… introducing a basic income does not entail a general separation of income from work. There are many advantages to a money-based recognition of contribution, including that money is a neutral medium that permits social negotiation of contractual conditions that are important to stabilise expectations. Basic income should not be seen in this sense as a replacement of earnings, but as a basic source of security. Besides being a medium of exchange, and a currency for recognizing and planning contribution over time in the form of employment, money is necessary simply to live. A more civilised society separates out the different functions of money. A basic income is a long-overdue part of doing so. Basic income is a floor below which no one should fall. Through tax subsidies and the tax-free allowance, citizens of different income already receive a basic amount. The BI is not essentially about redistributing money, but about the basis on which distribution is done. …